Myanmar: Experience the Culture of Beautiful Bagan

Getting Lost in Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar

Myanmar, for me, wasn’t a place that I had been particularly intent on visiting. For those who have been following for a while, you know that I don’t keep a bucket list but Myanmar wasn’t even on my radar. When I saw that RAKLife was going there and I was able to get off of work, I made it happen. While I will share several posts on my time in Myanmar with RAKLife, Bagan was the most magical. Here’s my story and what you need to know about visiting beautiful Bagan.

Getting There & Where to Stay in Bagan

Bagan was our second stop in Myanmar after Yangon. There are multiple ways to get between cities. Bus is definitely the most affordable and on major routes like this one, you can find more luxury/ comfortable options available. However, the ride takes close to 12 hours. For our itinerary, we didn’t have the time to take a bus, so we opted for an internal flight on Air KBZ and made the trip in about an hour. I was shocked that on such a short flight we were served a full meal so don’t bother buying a meal before you board.

There are loads of places to stay in Bagan. I recommend staying close to Old Bagan as that’s where the majority of temples can be found. If you’re looking for a budget option, try the Winner Guest House for around $20USD/ day for a double room with private bathroom including a decent hot breakfast. The upstairs rooms are more recently renovated than the downstairs and dorm so keep that in mind. It’s located near a scooter rental, a few restaurants and has easy access to the major sights.

So Many Temples! Which Ones to See?

The reality is, all of the temples are beautiful and there’s over 2000 of them. So, you can’t go wrong, but here’s a few that you should consider.

Schwezigon Pagoda: This beautiful pagoda is a Buddhist temple covered in gold-leaf. It was built in the 11th century and is one of the more lavish temples in the area. It is said that the pagoda houses the footprints of Buddha.

Shwesandaw Pagoda: We went here to catch the sunset. Get there early as it does get crowded, but there’s lots of levels for people to grab a spot. The steps are pretty steep so if that bothers you, this isn’t the best option for you. I’ll never forget walking around beforehand, observing some of the monks and just thinking about their lives. Unexpectedly, the two monks I was watching turned around, and I smiled, feeling embarrassed that I’d been caught watching them. I was incredibly humbled when they walked upto me and asked if they could have a picture with me. Of course I said yes!

Sulamani Temple: As you approach the temple, you’ll pass through a beautiful archway. This is a great spot for silhouette photos with the temple in the background. Inside the temple, the walls and ceiling are covered in paintings depicting scenes from the life of Buddha. Each of the four sides of the temple features a large statue of Buddha. You’ll notice that Sulamani, Dhammayangyi and Htilominlo Temples are resemble each other in their design.

Be aware that shoulders and knees should be covered and shoes removed when visiting temples. I bought a longyi (wrap skirt) for ~$3USD at the market when I arrived and carried it with me to cover my knees. For my shoulders, I brought a lot of short sleeve shirts and carried a scarf to cover my shoulders when wearing a tank top.

An Unexpected Parade

One day, we rented scooters (rented next door to Winner Guest House) to go exploring. Our guide was really excited and asked us to follow him but wouldn’t tell us where he was taking us. We weaved through one of the only paved roads and pulled over near a small market in front of a temple. There was a crowd of people starting to gather including several women dressed in colorful dresses with beautiful umbrellas. We parked our scooters and waited to see what was going to happen.

The distant boom of a large drum was faint but getting closer. A procession of young women and men dressed in elegant clothing came down from the village. It was clear that this was a very special occasion. I asked the guide and he very excitedly smiled and put one finger to his lips and pointed. I looked up and saw a young boy that looked like royalty riding on the back of a horse while a man held an umbrella over him. There was a never-ending parade of these young boys parading through town. Some were resting on golden chairs atop the horses and others were in opulent carriages behind the animals. The parade ended with a carriage blaring music through large speakers with a man singing to music.

Joining the Shinbyu Celebration

I looked to the guide to see if now he would explain. He smiled and explained that we had just seen the Shinbyu ceremony for this village, which is a special coming of age ceremony for young boys as part of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. This tradition is considered one of the most important for parents as they send their son off to become a novice monk. Because this ceremony and the time spent as a novice monk is believed to bring good fortune on a family by the Buddha, families without male children have gotten creative. These families seek out male orphans or “borrow” another family’s son to go through Shinbyu and the subsequent time as a novice monk on their behalf.

Following the parade, the village hosts a celebration under a special shelter they build called a “pandal”. The family hosting this year’s celebration saw us visiting and invited us into the pandal and asked us to share their village’s food. Each member of the village donates a dish for this meal so we got to taste several local dishes. The most interesting was a bowl of very tiny salted fish. It really was such an honor to be welcomed into this intimate and special celebration.

Village Life in Bagan

For those who read my blog often, you know that I love to experience village life wherever I am traveling. While exploring on my e-bike, we stopped in several different villages in and around Bagan. Here are a few of the highlights:

This woman was selling bags and other goods by the side of the road. She explained to our guide that she smokes cheroot all day. Cheroot is basically a cigar that is cut on both ends, filled with tobacco. This woman was good at hustling because several of us walked away with our own cheroot to try!

Late in the afternoon, while riding down one of the many dusty roads among the temples, we happened upon this woman working hard in the sun. I’m not sure exactly what she was working with but she was showing us how she could separate the grain/ bean from the other material using this basket.

Lacquer is very popular in Bagan and is found for sale in most markets. I recommend you seek out an opportunity to see the lacquer being made. We happened upon this family making lacquer and they invited us to sit and watch them. The bowls are made by taking thin strips of bamboo and wrapping it in circles forming the sides of the bowl. Then, this young boy showed us how he carefully paints the lacquer onto the outside of the bowl. Once the lacquer sets in an underground room they have built, they etch designs into each item by hand.

Ananda Temple Festival

The Ananda Pagoda symbolizes the limitless wisdom of Buddha and is easy to identify because it’s one of the only white temples in the area. I recommend exploring the exterior of the temple after visiting the interior.

We were fortunate enough to experience the Ananda Temple Festival, which typically falls in January (check the calendar). During the festival, you can find a large temporary market set up with all sorts of vendors selling anything from home wares to fried delicacies. The peak day of the festival falls on the full-moon day of the lunar month. Be prepared for a large crowd both at the temple and in the festival market. It’s easy to get lost! Plan several hours to wander around.

Bagan Traditional Market

To get to the Bagan Traditional Market, you have to pass through the Tharabha Gate. I drove there on an electric scooter, and wandered through the aisles of the market bartering for treats and trinkets, such as these puppets. If you visit Bagan and it’s not during the Ananda Temple Festival, I definitely recommend visiting this market for shopping and to experience the local culture.

What Did I Just Eat?

I have no idea what exactly most of my meals were made of in Myanmar, so I can’t describe many dishes. However the meals generally consist of small shared plates of sauces and dishes that you help yourself to with a bowl of rice. One of our more memorable meals was at Golden Myanmar Restaurant. We ordered the ‘traditional meal’ and were provided with a seemingly unending number of small plates. If I had to describe Burmese food, it would be a mix of Indian spices and flavors with many Thai and Chinese ingredients. One of the more popular dishes I saw in many restaurants was the Tea Leaf Salad (or Lahpet Thoke), which is made of pickled tea leaves, peanuts and beans. I personally didn’t care for the flavor of it, but you will see it on most menus.

Along the side of the road in the late afternoon, you can also find women cooking sweet rice cakes in many of the villages. You can get several for a $1USD.

Bagan By Electric Scooter

For safety reasons, the only scooters for rent in Bagan are electric ones that are speed limited. So, if you rent one be prepared to manage the battery level. If you go out early and plan to stay out for sunset you may not have enough battery. Ask when you rent it if they will allow you to bring it back to re-charge or if they will come out and help you if your battery runs low. One of my favorite days in Bagan was just exploring aimlessly with another girl from our group. We discovered so many off the beaten path temples.

In fact, at one, Sitanagyi Hpaya we were the only ones there but there was a family who lived at a small home on the temple site. The man saw us wandering around and asked if we wanted to go down inside of the temple. We agreed to go in, so he helped us climb partway up the temple to a small hole. As we each made our way through the hole, we realized just how dark it was in tunnel. He had brought a flashlight and started walking us through the Buddha that was kept underneath the temple. We got part way and there was a pile of rubble that we had to crawl over. He grabbed my arm and made a strange motion with his arms. He grabbed a pebble and threw it over the rubble and shined the flashlight in there. It was absolutely filled with bats that took off flying when he threw the rock. I may have screamed, but appreciated him warning us. We decided to not continue but am glad we got the chance to see what it was like inside of the pagoda.

The Irrawaddy River runs along Bagan on a North-South route through most of Myanmar. Because we hadn’t seen the river yet, we rode our e-bikes to the bank of the river and walked around a bit. We discovered several women doing laundry in the water, laughing and talking together. There are a few small restaurants there if you need to re-charge before hopping back on your bike.

Bagan From Above

I don’t often splurge when I travel, but I decided to do a hot air balloon ride at sunrise with Balloons Over Bagan. It’s expensive, but an incredible experience to see the more than 1000 temples from above. On the morning of my balloon ride, there was a low fog that made for a pretty dreamy view.

One of the more notable temples you’ll see from the balloon is Dhammayazika Pagoda with its large golden spire.

Experiencing Culture in Beautiful Bagan in Myanmar

Whether it’s grabbing a snack at the side of the road, taking in the views of the centuries old temples, or walking through the nearby villages to gain a glimpse at daily life, the culture of Bagan is magical.

8 Comments

I think Myanmar is a fascinating country when I was travelling through the region the borders were still closed to the outside world. It’s a place I’d like to go back to one day. Love the idea of e-bikes more places in the world should hire those out. I’ve never heard of RAKlife before will be checking them out a bit more, thanks for sharing.

I hope that you’re able to go back and explore! It really is such a special place. I did write a post sharing an interview with the founder of RAKLife if you’d like to read his perspective on the organization’s mission and future. Happy travels!http://www.thisbigwildworld.com/travelinspo-raklife/

Great post; I was in Myanmar and Bagan last October and loved it. E-bikes are definitely the best way to see the temples (except by balloon of course – which was a bit outside my budget unfortunately). We didn’t really get chance to explore the villages much but sounds as if it was really interesting.

Thank you! Glad you had a great experience too! The e-bikes are so fun- as long as you keep track of how much battery you have left ? Yes, the balloon ride was certainly a rare splurge for me. Luckily the city is beautiful from every angle!

Hi! I was attracted to this post because I was in Myanmar last March and had spent over a week in Bagan. I absolutely loved it there! And it looks like we did some similar things. Thanks for sharing! I had a joy going down memory lane with your post!

Thank you! I can understand why you might have mixed feelings. I’d love to hear more about your thoughts on this – either via comment or email at [email protected]. It’s important to me to hear the perspectives of those who have been truly immersed in a place or culture!

About Me

Hey there! Here’s a bit about me - I’m a thirty something girl from a huge family in the Midwest USA. At just nine years old, I had the opportunity to have a homestay experience in Japan. It was this experience that instilled in me a curiosity about people and their stories. I have a passion for photography. I travel simply, to off the beaten path places usually with nothing but my camera and a carry-on. Whether you have the means to travel yourself or not, I hope that my stories inspire you to understand others, appreciate the small things and maybe help plan an adventure. Join me as I explore this big wild world!